Read more about the article Harvesting Glass Gem Popping Corn
Photo by Andrew Cheeseman

Harvesting Glass Gem Popping Corn

Continue ReadingHarvesting Glass Gem Popping Corn

The moment of truth has arrived. We just harvested the Glass Gem Popping Corn we grew this summer. Between the rats and corn worms, we lost at least half the harvest, but what was left was substantial enough to be proud of. Glass Gem is an open pollinated seed "bred from a number of Native varieties by Carl 'White Eagle' Barnes, the famous Cherokee corn collector to whom we owe our gratitude for his life's work of collecting, preserving and…

Read more about the article Asian Citrus Psyllid in My Backyard
The pest looks like a tiny figure eight or an hourglass standing upright on a leaf.

Asian Citrus Psyllid in My Backyard

Continue ReadingAsian Citrus Psyllid in My Backyard

It's here, in Mar Vista, in our backyard. The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) has been in found in Los Angeles, but just last week we discovered it on a weak lime tree in the back corner of Gardenerd HQ. Here's what it looks like in real life. At first we didn't see the pest, just evidence that it arrived. Squiggly, white threads were sprinkled over the leaf surfaces and dangled off flower buds. It's like a horror film where the…

Read more about the article Review: Natural Beekeeping Conference 2016
The bees enjoyed the flowers of bolting kale and mustard greens.

Review: Natural Beekeeping Conference 2016

Continue ReadingReview: Natural Beekeeping Conference 2016

I had the good fortune of being a speaker at the first ever Natural Beekeeping Conference that took place this weekend in Pasadena, CA. Honeylove.org organized the event. They gathered top experts in treatment-free beekeeping from around the continent, and welcomed guests from all over the world. Yours truly taught Gardening for Beekeepers. Most of my beekeeping colleagues have attended regular beekeeping conferences, only to find themselves flabbergasted by the amount of attention given to chemicals: miticides, fungicides, artificial food…

Read more about the article Ask Gardenerd: Saving Broccolini Seeds
Side shoots form tiny heads of broccoli you can harvest for at least a month.

Ask Gardenerd: Saving Broccolini Seeds

Continue ReadingAsk Gardenerd: Saving Broccolini Seeds

This terrific question came in from an inquiring mind this week: "Last spring I had a very tasty crop of Broccolini. I was impressed enough to save seeds at the end of the season. I've since learned that Broccolini is a cross between Italian Broccoli and Chinese Broccoli (a form of Kale). Was my seed saving a waste of time? If I try and plant these seeds, will they revert to one of the two parent plants? - Ed Callahan"…

Read more about the article What to do with Overgrown Green Beans
Green bean overload. We filled a 1 gallon bucket from our 4 square foot patch of bush beans when we got home.

What to do with Overgrown Green Beans

Continue ReadingWhat to do with Overgrown Green Beans

It happens to even the most savvy gardener. You go out of town on vacation and when you return, there are beans...lots of beans. Not just any beans, overripe beans. Tough, fibrous, partially mature beans that are still green. What to do? We're exploring the possibilities. When are green beans overripe? It's pretty easy to tell when green beans have gone too far. You can see the outline of individual seeds bulging inside the pod. The pods themselves will be…

Read more about the article Field Trip: Community Gardens in York, England
Brambles of black and raspberries lined pathways.

Field Trip: Community Gardens in York, England

Continue ReadingField Trip: Community Gardens in York, England

If there's one thing the English do well, it's gardening. Many of our traditions and ideals about what a proper garden should look like come from the English. As a resident of a drought-stricken area, I've had to peel these ideals away from my brain over the years, to embrace a different aesthetic. Now and again, though, it's nice to see a lush garden where it rains more than 9 inches a year. During our stay in York recently, we…

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